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Chemicals of Natural Origin and Their Biological Activities

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 5759

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Chemistry, University of Opole, ul. Oleska 48, 45-052 Opole, Poland
Interests: analytical chemistry; organic chemistry; sample preparation; enantiomers separation; natural products isolation; structure determination; membrane techniques; sorbents and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs); quantitative and qualitative analysis; chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Opole, Opole, Poland
Interests: analytical chemistry; sample clean-up; GC-MS; natural products; essential oils

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature is the inspiration for the development of our science and technology. Firstly, we used natural resources for different utility purposes. Subsequently, we discovered how to identify, isolate or even chemically synthesize the active ingredients of these products. Although we have learned a lot about the chemical composition of natural products, the diversity of the natural world and the fact that each organism is a factory that produces loads of chemicals leaves us much room for further research. Bioactive ingredients are often obtained and used as mixtures in the form of extracts or essential oils. Their biological activity and efficacy depend on the combination and quantity of the active substances in the applied product. Studies regarding the biological activities of natural products are challenging due to their complexity and natural diversity. Therefore, there is a need to develop and validate methods allowing their isolation and reliable analysis. Many pretreatment techniques such as steam distillation, accelerated solvent extraction, Soxhlet extraction, or solid-phase extraction are used to prepare these substances. The actual analysis and structure determination are performed using instrumental methods, most frequently GC and HPLC, along with MS, NMR, and IR.

This Special Issue aims to collect recent advances in the field of bioactive chemicals obtained from natural products. Original research papers considering the bioactivity of natural products and their elucidated chemical composition or the bioactivity studies of isolated bioactive components are welcome. Systematic reviews are also encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Piotr P. Wieczorek
Dr. Katarzyna Pokajewicz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phytochemical
  • essential oil
  • natural products
  • isolation and purification
  • GC, HPLC, HPTLC
  • structure determination, NMR, IR, MS
  • biological activity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2812 KiB  
Article
The First Phytochemical Investigation of Artemisia divaricate: Sesquiterpenes and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity
by Siqi Yan, Changqiang Ke, Zheling Feng, Chunping Tang and Yang Ye
Molecules 2023, 28(10), 4254; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104254 - 22 May 2023
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Abstract
Artemisia divaricate belongs to the Artemisia genus of the family of Compositae, a sort of perennial herb endemic in most regions of China. For the first time, a phytochemical investigation was carried out on the whole plant of Artemisia divaricate, resulting in [...] Read more.
Artemisia divaricate belongs to the Artemisia genus of the family of Compositae, a sort of perennial herb endemic in most regions of China. For the first time, a phytochemical investigation was carried out on the whole plant of Artemisia divaricate, resulting in the identification of 39 sesquiterpenes, with 9 of them being new (19). The structures of the new compounds were fully established using extensive analysis of MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data and density functional theory (DFT) NMR calculations. Their structures involve germacrane, eudesmane, and bisabolane types. All the new isolates were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophages of RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 2 and 8 showed a significant inhibition effect on NO production, with IC50 values of 5.35 ± 0.75 and 7.68 ± 0.54 µM, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemicals of Natural Origin and Their Biological Activities)
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Review

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29 pages, 425 KiB  
Review
Lavandula x intermedia—A Bastard Lavender or a Plant of Many Values? Part II. Biological Activities and Applications of Lavandin
by Katarzyna Pokajewicz, Marta Czarniecka-Wiera, Agnieszka Krajewska, Ewa Maciejczyk and Piotr P. Wieczorek
Molecules 2023, 28(7), 2986; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28072986 - 27 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1908
Abstract
This review article is the second in a series aimed at providing an in-depth overview of Lavandula x intermedia (lavandin). In part I, the biology and chemistry of lavandin were addressed. In part II, the focus is on the functional properties of lavandin [...] Read more.
This review article is the second in a series aimed at providing an in-depth overview of Lavandula x intermedia (lavandin). In part I, the biology and chemistry of lavandin were addressed. In part II, the focus is on the functional properties of lavandin and its applications in industry and daily life. While reviewing the biological properties, only original research articles employing lavandin were considered. Lavandin essential oil has been found to have antioxidant and biocidal activity (antimicrobial, nematicidal, antiprotozoal, insecticidal, and allelopathic), as well as other potential therapeutic effects such as anxiolytic, neuroprotective, improving sleep quality, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic. Other lavandin preparations have been investigated to a much lesser extent. The research is either limited or inconsistent across all studies, and further evidence is needed to support these properties. Unlike its parent species—Lavandula angustifolia (LA)—lavandin essential oil is not officially recognized as a medicinal raw material in European Pharmacopeia. However, whenever compared to LA in shared studies, it has shown similar effects (or even more pronounced in the case of biocidal activities). This suggests that lavandin has similar potential for use in medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemicals of Natural Origin and Their Biological Activities)
21 pages, 1157 KiB  
Review
Lavandula × intermedia—A Bastard Lavender or a Plant of Many Values? Part I. Biology and Chemical Composition of Lavandin
by Katarzyna Pokajewicz, Marta Czarniecka-Wiera, Agnieszka Krajewska, Ewa Maciejczyk and Piotr P. Wieczorek
Molecules 2023, 28(7), 2943; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28072943 - 25 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2443
Abstract
This review article is the first in a series that provides an overview of the biology, chemistry, biological effects, and applications of Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin, LI). Despite its prevalence in cultivation and on the essential oil market, lavandin has received limited attention [...] Read more.
This review article is the first in a series that provides an overview of the biology, chemistry, biological effects, and applications of Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin, LI). Despite its prevalence in cultivation and on the essential oil market, lavandin has received limited attention from the scientific community. Remarkably more attention is paid to Lavandula angustifolia (LA), which is commonly regarded as the superior lavender and has been extensively researched. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive review of LI, as none currently exists, and assess whether its inferior status is merited. In the first part, we outline the biological and chemical characteristics of the plant and compare it to the parent species. The chemical composition of lavandin oil is similar to that of LA but contains more terpenes, giving camphor notes that are less valued in perfumery. Nevertheless, lavandin has some advantages, including a higher essential oil yield, resulting in reduced production cost, and therefore, it is a preferred lavender crop for cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemicals of Natural Origin and Their Biological Activities)
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